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Forces At Play: Golden Retriever

As the avant-experimental duo of Golden Retriever, Matt Carlson and Jonathan Seilaff have an impressive eight releases under their belt over the past decade. Their latest, Rotations, out on Thrill Jockey Records comes a long three years after the well-received Seer LP, but the duo has been anything but dormant in the interim.

Carlson and Seilaff began working on Rotations in 2015 after receiving a grant from Portland’s Regional Arts & Culture Council, allowing them to organize and perform new works, including a series of live performances at The Old Church. Expanded their scope of their sound, this time the duo incorporated a 10-person chamber orchestra, including piano, strings, wind instruments, percussion, synthesizer and pipe organ—blending improvisation and composition throughout their thoughtful arrangements.

Their meticulous care has not gone un-noticed. Pitchfork gave the release an 8/10, calling it “Golden Retriever’s best and most accessible music.” In Tiny Mix Tapes’ premiere of album-closer “Sunsight,” they call the track “tranquil, glistening, zen-like.” They’re not wrong, the whole album floats in a dreamy realm between psychedelic-noir film score and the ideal soundtrack to the best meditation of your life.

On Wednesday, August 9, Golden Retriever celebrate the hometown release of Rotations at Holocene, with another of our favorite experimental duos, Visible Cloaks. They’re also joined by Dolphin Midwives, Ilyas Ahmed (DJ set), and Danielle Ross & Chloe Alexandra. Advance tickets are available here. Enter to win a pair of tickets here. RSVP + invite friends to the event here.